Lost Nation: A Novel

I have just finished reading Lost Nation after reading Lent's other book, In the Fall. I cannot remember being so captivated by an author. These books read like thrillers but the characters are deep and complex and are slowly revealed to the reader as the story unfolds. Lent is a deep sea diver on the human condition and he integrates his characters, his story, and nature with the reader so you become involved through your own emotions and senses. He has a feel for dialect and draws people quickly and distinctly. I don't think I have ever been drawn in so quickly and thoroughly to the story or its characters by any other other author and I have read many, many, books. The only other comtemporary author I have read who is in his league is Charles Frazier who wrote Cold Mountain. If you liked Cold Mountain, you will love reading Jeffrey Lent who is even better I think. You will get to meet Sally in this book and she will be an unforgettable as Daphne is in In the Fall. The other characters are written so well that I feel like I know them and wish I could get in a time machine and go visit them. I cannot recommend Lent enough. His name will be spoken in the same breath as Twain and Melville someday.

This latest effort by Jeffrey Lent escapes traditional confines in the service of an innovative writing style. Lost Nation challenges the accepted format of his first novel, unrestricted by conventional standards, more edgy and jagged, yet unlike stream-of-consciousness, with an overpowering sense of immediacy. When Blood tethers child-prostitute Sally to the back of his cart and pushes off from Maine toward the vast northern wilderness, his intent is a simple life carved from the unyielding soil of a remote settlement. Blood is singular in purpose, beholden to no man, almost primal in his response to indifferent surroundings. Sally is but an opportunity, a commodity to be bartered as the need arises. Lent draws Blood in coarse, primitive strokes, a fearsome man who lacks the nuances of civilized society. Sally, as well, is spare and quick, by necessity ever watchful. As they adapt to the rigors of the journey north toward Canada's challenging landscape, their tentative relationship is defined less by personality than circumstance and immediate need. Over time, the blunt manner in which Blood discloses himself to Sally binds the story in subtle threads of tension. Can Lent sustain the impetus of this tale throughout? Yes, and he does so consistently. The world Sally and Blood inhabit is laced with imminent danger, the threat of the unknown never farther away than the trees that ring the rough-hewn tavern/trading post where Blood finally settles.Peopled with pioneers, ideologues and misfits, the families settled before Blood and Sally on the land, for all their civilized pretensions, often seem to circle the trader and his young helper like a pack of hungry wolves waiting for the opportunity to strike. Blood remains neutral, in reality more moral than the other settlers, serving his customers with dispassionate regard. Always an outcast, this driven but damaged man becomes a target of their discontent. Aside from his personal demons, Blood remains a sympathetic character throughout, scarred by his past actions and sentenced to live out the agonizing years ahead, a self-inflicted endeavor of repentance. Meanwhile, Sally, her spirit newly awakened, begins to raise her head, less fearful of an intolerant and brutal environment. Blood's uncommon strength allows her to consider a life other than one constricted by survival. The plot moves inexorably towards a violent conclusion, a drama of treachery, betrayal, passion, loyalty, loss and redemption.In Lost Nation, Jeffrey Lent has hit his stride as an author, with powerful, confident prose that rarely disappoints and frequently surprises with moments of unexpected tenderness. His novel is an insightful journey into the heart of darkness, limned with courage and a commitment to the enlightenment of shared grace.

I read LOST NATION and was completely hypnotized by Mr. Lent's true talent as a literary artist. Just finished his debut novel, IN THE FALL, and I must concur with most of the reviewers that Mr. Lent is an extraordinary writer that will not be flying under the radar for long if he keeps writing beautiful, heart-wrenching stories such as these. DO NOT BE MISLEAD by those reviewers who did not have the patience to fully absorb the rich characters and their environments. Never have I read such amazing characterization that explores the true nature of the human condition. These are the most multi-dimensional characters to grace the pages of a novel in awhile. Some of the passages are so expertly and beautifully constructed that they will take your breath away. Excellent plot structure, narrative pacing, and a truly gifted appraoch to writing. A wholly enriching literary experience. Highest recommendation.

In 1829 both the United States and Cnada claimed the northernmost part of the state of New Hampshire. A hardscrabble lot had settled this virgin Connecticut Lake region in the late 1700's. They had heard stories told about it from the returning Rogers Rangers, who had hunted and trapped the area. The Rangers had discovered spring-fed bogs and brooks that rickled down out ot the mountains to create the Fourth Connecticut Lake. It fed into the Third, which fed into the Second, then the First Connecticut Lake. Not far south from its beginnings, the Connecticut River became a major one, on it's way over 400 miles south to the ocean. The Rangers had told tales of warmer weather, large meadows, abundant game, and fine hunting and fishing. An isolated land up for grabs. A homesteader only had to clean five acres, build a home, work the roads, and the property was his. Folks were slow to move up there though, because there was not an established border with Canada. A Settler could shoot a dear on the United States side, but not be sure if it fell in Canada or the U.S. A trapper could run his lines in both the U.S. and Canada and never be sure what country they were in. Although there was a customs house in Canaan, VT., catle smuggling and norder disputes were common. Soon rowdy lawbreakers and steely-eyed men on the run from their past began to migrate north the the Indian Stream Territory, as it came to be known. Eventually there were houses, a sawmill, tavern and a gristmill, but so much bad feeling grew between the settlers, the New Hampshire government, and the Canadians that on July 9, 1833 the settlers met at the Center School and declared their independence from both. They drew up a constitution to serve them until it was decided under which government they really did belong. The people of Indian Stream were tired of being taxed by both countries. They came up with their own flag, money, stamps, and government. This upstart nation declared no taxes at all, and a General Assembly was made up of the entire voting populations. It worked quite well for a while, but there were too many unsavory characters in the territory. Kidnappings, knife fights, raids back and forth. Eventually shots were fired from both sides and some blood was she. The New Hampsire Militia invaded Indian Stream Republic, and in just three years the nation came to an end. It is in this wild untamed Indian Stream country, high in the New Hampshire wilderness, where the luckless and outlawed tried to make a stand, that author Jeffrey Len sets his extraordinary new saga, "Lost Nation." The New York Times best-selling author of the critically acclaimed first novel, "In The Fall", has written a majestic saga of individualism and nationhood. As rich in character and plot, as the black dirt soil along the lakes of the North Country. "Lost Nation," inroduces the reader to a man known only as Blood. He is a man of contradictions. Both wise and learned, but brutal and withdrawn. From ov

The first novel by this author was entitled, "In The Fall", and was exceptional. It was also his first work. Whatever he was to offer readers on his second effort would not only have to compete with his first, but would also have to demonstrate the depth of his talent. Critics would be looking for the sophomore jinx or the opportunity to label him a one hit wonder. "Lost Nation", is another extremely fine piece of writing that is unique, it does not rely on any repetition or formula from his first work. Quite to the contrary the cadence of this work is distinct from, "In The Fall", the dialogue is structured differently, at times almost a staccato exchange. I think the author deserves credit for not repeating what he has done in the past; his works to date has been wide and deep."Many people are cruel given the chance." That quote is from his first book and to the extent his two works share commonality of perspective, "Lost Nation" embraces this idea as well. I wrote the following words about his previous work almost two years ago to the day. They applied to, "In The Fall", and they apply to, "Lost Nation". The writer I thought of when enjoying this work was John Steinbeck. The same way "The Grapes Of Wrath" stays with you years after it was read, or "East Of Eden" or "Cannery Row" lingers, this book will do the same. This is a story you will remember in detail, these are characters whose names you will recall, this caliber of book is why I read. "In The Fall" is the first book I have read in years that I believe will be a true classic in time. "Instant Classic" is a contradiction in terms. A classic has to age, to endure, to continue to be relevant, this work has all the necessary credentials, and in abundance.The book begins in 1838 and concludes in 1896. Unlike his first book this is not a tale that methodically works its way through three generations. Much of the work is contained in a fairly brief span of time which is not a negative just an observation. This is also a story filled with characters that are quick to hate, accuse, and at best often have an uneasy and fragile relationship with their peers. The author's New Hampshire is a state with a piece of territory that is orphaned, neither this man's nor another's, neither of The United States nor Canada. These pioneers are determined yet their hold on their land and work is doubtful; they are subjected to the laws of two masters who only appear to inflict damage and recrimination.When authority is taken by the settlers themselves the brittle equilibrium of their world is threatened. Violence is first tangential to the community but ultimately escalates to a point that actions taken will determine the community's future. A character who is easily judged when the story begins, is eventually shown as a man who is a philosopher, self-centered, focused, and a man who can express himself with eloquence, and in French, Greek, and Latin as well. He is like the book; Mr. Lent shares enough familia